please help me...

[amellie]

Hi!

I have a 17 years old sister who suffers from some kind of stressed/anxiety disease since last year. She's a very cleaver girl who always get the best grade in her class. But the problem is, she is introvert; barely socialize with her friends. Before my family and I knew she had a (health) problem, my mom and I have discovered her crying several times. But when we asked what's the problem, she didn't answer our question.

Last year was a very hard time for my family. My sister suddenly behaved strangely as if a ghost or a spirit went into/control her body. She screamed, ran, and said something strange/unclear. She also became soooooo violent and strong!!!Before the screaming happened, she usually smiled or laughed for unclear reasons. I know that this sounds so stupid, but many of my relatives have witnessed this.

It's already a year since the first time she was "in trouble". Everything goes back to normal. We try to cheer her up, force her to go out and socialize, etc. We also went to several doctors, from general practitioners, to psychologist and even psychiatric. Some doctors said she's too stressed with her life.

But recently she suffered from "this strange disease" again. She didn't get a very good result of one of her exam. She is a girl who never wants to accept failures (although we always tell her that failure is just part of our life!!). She is a perfectionist; by achieving something (e.g. get a good grade) is everything to her! She also becomes vulnerable and sensitive; people around her must not say something (even the smallest thing) that will make her angry, or else she will feel so stressed out. So anyway, because of that, we see her smiling or laughing for nothing.. Sometimes we feel so tired of this, we want her to recover. But I don't know why it comes back again.

Is this a disease??? IF yes, which one? stress? anxiety? depression? I'm scared that it'll actually be a mental problem or something....
Any suggestion maybe??? I know that she definitely needs a therapy, but I don't know which kind of theraphy she needs to undergo. Thanx.

[ghchealth]

First, let me say that you sister is very fortunate to have a sibling that is willing to take the time and effort to investigate the reasons for and possible therapies for her condition. It does sound as if there is some imbalance that may lead to these outbursts and that stress is very likely a trigger or a component of her problem. People that feel that they must perform perfectly often suffer from a great deal of stress that can deplete nutrients and strain all of the resources of the body. Keep in mind also that at 17 years old the stress can be tremendous, especially for a motivated student. The combination of normal adolescent anxiety, college acceptance stress, and the impending changes that stem from leaving high school and a phase of one’s life can be a huge burden on an individual that is struggling to transition from childhood to adulthood. It definitely bears looking into possible reasons that this problem began to occur at a certain time and if there may some type of triggering event.

It is very difficult to say what “disease” this is, if any. I would suggest consulting with a holistic practitioner that has some experience with counseling and with affective disorders. Often a naturopathic doctor or a chiropractor can perform an evaluation. It would be valuable to perform a nutritional evaluation, check hormone levels with saliva testing, perform a hair analysis for heavy metal toxicity, and to simply speak with your sister about what is happening in her life. They can also discuss some strategies to cope with stress possibly including exercise, yoga, prayer, meditation, or other healthy habits that may allow her to deal with her heightened response. Fortunately, there are many herbal and nutraceutical remedies that may be very helpful, but it would be beneficial to find the root of the problem first.